There was a prospect in the KT Wiz’s bullpen who created a new wind at the end of the season. His name is Kang Geon (19). He is a pitcher who graduated from Jangan High School and was selected 110th, last in the 11th round, in this year’s rookie draft. A player who entered the professional ranks in a truly dramatic way.토토사이트
He played as a developing player, but was promoted to the first team by registering as a player on October 3, and brought freshness to KT coach Lee Kang-cheol with his fearless pitching.
A fastball in the mid-140km range has an excellent curve. Usually, the rotation speed per minute of a professional curve is around 2,400 to 2,500 rpm, but Kang Geon’s curve exceeds 2,700 rpm. Coach Lee did not hold back in his praise, saying, “He throws a Cuevas-level curveball.”
He’s actually a pitcher who didn’t have much expectations. He pitched in 34 games for the second team, where he posted mediocre records of 1 win, 1 loss, and an earned run average of 5.10.
He showed good performance in the second half and was able to move up to the first team in October. Surprisingly, he made a mark by not running away and playing aggressive pitching. Kang Geon, who pitched last in the KIA game on the 4th and pitched one inning with no hits, one strikeout and no runs, was the last pitcher to pitch against Samsung on the 6th and recorded one inning with one hit, two strikeouts and no runs.
In the game against Hanwha on the 7th, with a huge 17-0 lead, he went on the mound in the top of the 7th inning and pitched 3 innings until the 9th, allowing 1 hit, 3 strikeouts, and no runs, recording his first save in his debut. In KT’s final game of the season, against Doosan in Suwon on the 10th, he appeared as the second pitcher, not the last, but the second pitcher following starter Jo Yi-hyeon. Kang Geon, who came on the mound in the top of the third inning and gave up a walk to Yang Seok-hwan, but gave up no hits and no runs, came out in the top of the fourth inning, but was hit by a double by leadoff Kim Jae-hwan, and then with a sacrifice bunt and a strikeout, he hit a left-field hit by Park Jun-young with two outs and a strikeout, allowing one run. He then allowed consecutive walks to Heo Gyeong-min and Su-bin Jeong, allowing bases loaded with two outs, and was replaced. 1⅔ innings, 2 hits, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts, 1 run allowed.
The pitcher, who was drafted 110th and had little expectations, made it to the first team in his first year and was praised for his courage, appearing in 4 games and recording 1 save and an ERA of 1.35 with no wins or losses. While he pitched 6⅔ innings, he allowed three walks and struck out eight. He showed good numbers with a hitting percentage of .667 and an on-base allowable rate of 1.05 per inning.
I thought he might have found a good bullpen partner at the end of the season, but I can’t see him in the postseason. This is because of the registered player regulations. According to KBO regulations, in order to participate in the postseason, only those registered as players of that club as of July 31st. In other words, Kang Geon was a training player and was registered as an official player on October 3, so he cannot play in the postseason.
Coach Lee said, “Kang Geon cannot participate in the postseason due to the registered player regulations. I wanted to have him pitch in big games, but I had no choice. It’s so unfortunate.”
Kang Geon’s ‘Cinderella Story’ ended with 4 games in the regular season. If he shows progress in the final camp and spring camp, he will likely be able to continue in the first team from the opening game next season.